Mavericks 100, Spurs 94: My Top 10 Observations

10. Asked Mavs owner Mark Cuban on his Stairmaster last night if he was serious about his story of almost imploding the team in late January before finding the Caron Butler trade: "Absolutely the truth. Ask my wife."

9. In crunch time, it was Jason Kidd on Manu Ginobli. He doesn't always stop him, but Kidd at least forces him to drive right.

8. Saw some crazy fans at American Airlines Center. How about a Keith Van Horn jersey, a Marquis Daniels jersey and two dudes dressed up as Mario and Luigi. Who knows?

7. One of the best moments of the night was the 2-on-1 fast break orchestrated by Shawn Marion and Caron Butler. The ball never touched the ball floor and four passes later Butler finished with a dunk. Reminded of the old Celtics.

6. Matt Bonner

5. Mavs up 1-0. Even better: Jason Terry made only two shots all night. He didn't score until 6:05 left in the game.

4. Best thing about Butler and Marion and even Brendan Haywood: You don't have to run plays for them to score. Their offensive rebounding and athleticism and general basketball IQ has them at the right place at the right time.

3. I sometimes think everyone would be happy to pay $10, sit in the AAC, drink a beer and listen to music while the video screens showed people caught on "Dance Cam" and "Kiss Cam."

2. Turns out that even four championship rings doesn't keep you from brain botches. With his team trailing only 67-61, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich resorted to Tamp-a-Damp. He had Roger Mason foul Erick Dampier on three consecutive possessions. Dampier, who amazingly didn't fumble a pass or rebound all night, made four of six free throws as Dallas seized control.